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Aqsa Ijaz is an Assistant Professor (Teaching Stream) at the Department of Language Studies and teaches the popular course Being Human in South Asia in the Department of Historical Studies at the University of Toronto Mississauga. She is a literary scholar specializing in Persianate literatures and multilingualism, with a focus on classical Persian poetry reception in South Asia. Education: PhD in Islamic Studies (McGill University), MPhil in Translation Studies (G.C. University, Pakistan), BA Hons in English Literature and Philosophy (minor in French). Her research explores the transcultural and temporal resonance of Nizami Ganjavi's Khusrau u Shirin across Persian, Urdu, and Punjabi traditions. She is the architect of the Global Past Research Initiative and serves on the editorial board of The Marginalia Review of Books . Key publications include her monograph Shaping the Language of Love and annotated translations of the 18th-century Persian history The Gift of the Generous and the French graphic novel Majnun and Laila: Songs from Beyond the Grave . Her work intersects premodern manuscript studies, oral performances, lithographs, and modern graphic novels. She teaches Introductory Persian , Urdu , and Punjabi courses while actively translating and performing as a cellist.

• Persianate Literatures
• Translation Studies
• Comparative Literature
• +7 more

Elizabeth (Lisa) Alexandrin is an Associate Professor in the Department of Religion at the Faculty of Arts, University of Manitoba . Her academic work bridges Islamic Studies , Sufism , and gender theory , with a focus on visual and textual representations of mysticism. Education: PhD in Islamic Studies, McGill University (2006) MA in Anthropology, University of Toronto (1993) BA in Anthropology, Boston University (1993) Research Interests: Islamic intellectual history Sufism Ismaili thought Body histories Visual piety Key Themes in Publications: Apocalyptic narratives in Fāṭimid Ismāʿīlī thought Qurʾanic calligraphy as spiritual practice Symbolism of walāyah (sainthood) in Sufi texts Intersection of dreams and mystical exegesis Awards: SSHRC Insight Development Grant (2018-2022) Explore SSHRC/University of Manitoba grant (2021-2022) SSHRC standard research grant (2011-2012)

• Islamic Intellectual History
• Sufism
• Ismaili Thought
• +2 more

Michael Frishkopf is a Professor and Director of Graduate Studies in the Department of Music at the University of Alberta, and Director of the Canadian Centre for Ethnomusicology. He also holds an adjunct professorship at the University for Development Studies in Ghana. His academic journey includes a BSc in Mathematics from Yale University (1984), MA in Ethnomusicology from Tufts University (1989), and PhD in Music from UCLA (1999). His primary roles include teaching ethnomusicology courses (e.g., MUSIC 148, MUSIC 465) and leading research initiatives in music and global health, soundscapes, and Islamic ritual studies. Education: BSc Mathematics, Yale University (1984) MA Ethnomusicology, Tufts University (1989) PhD Music, UCLA (1999) Research interests span ethnomusicology, Sufi music, sound in Islamic rituals, music and global health, machine learning applications, and social network analysis. He founded the West African Music Ensemble (1999) and Middle Eastern Music Ensemble (2004). His work bridges disciplines including anthropology, computer science, and public health. Key projects include the Autonomous Adaptive Soundscapes initiative for ICU patients, Music for Global Human Development (promoting health in Ghana, Liberia, and Ethiopia), and Music, Sound, and Architecture in Islam . He has published over 100 works and received awards such as the 2020 Edmonton Interfaith Advocate Award and 2018 Community Connection Award. Grants include funding from SSHRC, CFI, and the Fulbright Foundation. He advises numerous collaborative projects and serves on boards like the Egyptian Center for Culture and Art. His research emphasizes participatory action research, particularly using music as a tool for social change and health promotion. Labs/Teams: Canadian Centre for Ethnomusicology (CCE), Genetic Music Collective, TransCultural Orchestra. Current projects include AI for Sound Societies and Mindful Social Listening for student mental health.

• Ethnomusicology
• Middle Eastern Music
• African Music
• +7 more

Amira Mittermaier is a Professor in the Department for the Study of Religion and Department of Anthropology at the University of Toronto. With cross-appointments between these departments, she specializes in sociocultural anthropology and religious studies, focusing on modern Islam in Egypt. Her work uniquely bridges textual analysis with ethnographic fieldwork to explore Islamic charity, dream interpretation, and theological inquiry. PhD in socio-cultural anthropology from Columbia University (2006) MA from Columbia University BA (equivalent) from University of Michigan/Eberhard-Karls-Universität Mittermaier’s research examines intersections between Islamic practice and anthropological theory. Key contributions include: " Dreams that Matter " (2011): Explores Egyptian dream interpretation through Islamic reform, psychology, and media " Giving to God " (2019): Analyzes Islamic charity as divine engagement Current project: " 99: A Kaleidoscopic Portrait of God " (forthcoming) Her ethnographic work extends to: Religious afterlives of revolution Divine-human relations in post-Arab Spring contexts Islamic ethics of care through food distribution Anthropological approaches to theological concepts Non-compassionate care models in charity Visual representations of prayer in colonial Algeria Scientific recognition includes: Guggenheim Fellowship (2021) Royal Society of Canada’s College of New Scholars (2014) Four major academic prizes for Dreams that Matter (2011) Jackman Humanities Institute fellowships As an educator, she supervises graduate students in modern/postcolonial Islam, Sufism, and ethnographic methodology. Her "ethnography of God" research continues to redefine theological anthropology through Islamic practices.

• Anthropology of religion
• Islam
• Sociocultural Anthropology
• +7 more

Dyala Hamzah is an Associate Professor in the Department of History within the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at the University of Montreal. She maintains a dual affiliation as a researcher at CÉRIUM (Centre d'études et de recherches internationales) and is also a member of CCÉAE (Centre canadien d'études allemandes et européennes). Her office is located in Pavillon Lionel-Groulx, room C6110. Her research focuses on the processes of reform and centralization in the Arab provinces of the Ottoman Empire throughout the 19th century from cultural and social perspectives. She examines the role of press and associations in the emergence of public space during the Arab Renaissance and explores education and citizenship issues in colonial and post-colonial periods. Additionally, she studies the professionalization of Islamic expertise in the 20th century, particularly the institutional development of mosque-universities like al-Azhar, Zaytuna, and Qarawiyyin from the 18th century until their nationalization in the 1960s. Her publications reveal a consistent focus on Arab intellectual history, public sphere formation, nationalism, and the interplay between Islamic thought and modern political developments. Her work spans from detailed historical studies of Ottoman Egypt to contemporary analyses of Palestinian intellectual production and Arab public discourse. She has edited significant volumes including The Making of the Arab Intellectual (1880-1960) and The World in World Wars . Her teaching portfolio includes courses such as HST2070 (Emergence of the Contemporary Arab World), HST2627 (Dominations and Resistances in the Arab World), HST3070 (State and Religion in the Arab World, 18th-19th centuries), and HST6648 (The Arab Renaissance, fin-de-siècle public space). She has supervised numerous graduate students on diverse topics related to Middle Eastern history, including Sudanese agricultural transformations under Egyptian colonization, French perspectives on concentration camps in Cyrenaica, and microhistories of North African soldiers in Indochina. As an expert commentator, she has contributed to media discussions on Middle Eastern affairs, particularly regarding the Syrian conflict and reconstruction challenges, as well as analyses of ISIS and the caliphate concept.

• Ottoman Empire
• Public space
• Social movements
• +9 more

Prashant Keshavmurthy is an Associate Professor of Persian-Iranian Studies at the Institute of Islamic Studies, McGill University, where he has served since 2009 and currently holds the position of Graduate Program Director. His academic work centers on Persian literary traditions across historical periods, with specialized expertise in pre-colonial South Asian Persian poetry and its cross-cultural intersections. His research integrates historically grounded analysis with theoretical frameworks in comparative literature, examining poetics, mysticism, and selfhood discourses across Persian, Arabic, Sanskrit, and Braj Bhasha traditions. Key focuses include the intellectual eclecticism of early modern South Asian Sufism, Persian literary theory, and the trans-Caucasian context of classical Persian works like Nizami Ganjavi's quintet. Analysis of his publication trajectory reveals consistent exploration of prosody-mysticism interplay in Persian ghazals, Indo-Persian identity construction in Mughal commentaries, and cross-religious literary adaptations such as Hindu epics translated into Persian. His scholarship bridges philological precision with philosophical inquiry, emphasizing multilingual and multi-religious contexts of Islamicate literary production. As Graduate Program Director, Keshavmurthy mentors students through specialized graduate seminars including Pre-Modern Persian Literary Criticism and Autobiography in the Islamic World, while teaching undergraduate courses on Persian literature in translation and South Asian Islamic literary histories.

• Persian Literature
• Islamic Studies
• Comparative Literature
• +5 more

Cédric Jourde is an Associate Professor in the Department of Political Studies at the University of Ottawa. His research focuses on Islam and Politics, Comparative Politics, Sub-Saharan and North African Politics, Social Stratification, and Transnationalism. He holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison (2002), an M.A. from the same institution (1996), and a B.Sc. from Université de Montréal (1995). Education: Ph.D. in Political Science, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 2002 M.A. in Political Science, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1996 B.Sc. in Political Science, Université de Montréal, 1995 His research explores the intersection of Islam, ethnicity, and power dynamics in the Sahel and North Africa, with a focus on Sufism, Salafism, and transnational movements. Recent work examines religious entrepreneurship, social stratification, and the politics of identity in Senegal, Mali, and Mauritania. He has supervised Master’s students Mema Buhendwa and Diana Alima Cissé. Key publications include analyses of Islamic affiliation shifts, Hajj organization in Senegal, and predation in Mali. His work often bridges comparative politics with cultural and socio-economic dimensions, emphasizing transnational linkages and local power structures.

• Islam and Politics
• Comparative Politics
• Sub-Saharan and North African Politics
• +4 more

Hessam Dehghani serves as Assistant Professor of Teaching for Persian Language and Culture within the Department of Asian Studies at the University of British Columbia's Faculty of Arts. He directs UBC's Persian Language Program and founded both the Persian Literature Reading Club (UPLRC) and the Persian, Iranian, and Persianate Studies (PIPS) Initiative to advance community engagement with Persianate cultures. His research spans three interconnected domains: Critical Heritage Education focusing on innovative pedagogical approaches for heritage language learners; Islamic and Persianate Sufism examining Sufi literary traditions through phenomenological frameworks; and Persian Education developing digital resources for Persian language instruction. His methodological approach integrates linguistic analysis with philosophical inquiry in Hermeneutics and Phenomenology. Dr. Dehghani's scientific recognition includes UBC's 2023 Dean of Arts' Leadership and Innovation Award and multiple Clough Center Fellowships from Boston College (2016-2019) for research on democracy in Islamic contexts. His teaching excellence was acknowledged with Boston College's 2018 Donald J. White Award. He actively develops resources for Persian language education including the forthcoming 'Dastan Asan' coursebook series for heritage learners and an interactive Persian literary terms dictionary. His academic trajectory reflects deep engagement with both Iranian scholarly traditions (through Allameh Tabatabai University) and Western philosophical frameworks (through Boston College), creating a unique interdisciplinary perspective on Persianate studies.

• Persian Language and Culture
• Islamic and Persianate Sufism
• Critical Heritage Education
• +5 more

Sara Abdel-Latif is an Assistant Professor at the McGill Institute of Islamic Studies, specializing in Qur'anic Exegesis and Medieval Islamic Mysticism. She holds a PhD in the Study of Religion from the University of Toronto (2020) and is completing her first book, Gendering Asceticism in Medieval Sufism , based on her dissertation. PhD in Study of Religion, University of Toronto (2020) Research Interests: Her work explores Sufism, gender dynamics in Islamicate history, medieval Islamic mysticism, and intersectional approaches to interpreting the Qur’an. She also investigates Sufi epistemology, Islamic hagiography, and urban contexts in medieval Islamicate societies. Publications: Sara has contributed to key academic texts including Brill's Knowledge and Education in Classical Islam and The Routledge Handbook on Sufism , focusing on intersections of gender, asceticism, and mystical interpretation. Contact: Office: Morrice Hall 308, McGill University, 3485 McTavish Street, Montreal, Quebec H3A 0E1, Canada.

• Qur'anic Exegesis
• Medieval Islamic Mysticism
• Sufism
• +5 more

Maria E. Subtelny is a Professor of Persian and Islamic Studies at the Department of Near and Middle Eastern Civilizations, University of Toronto. Her research focuses on Persian manuscript studies, classical Persian literature, and the synthesis of Persian and Islamic mystical traditions. She is on leave from July 1, 2025 to December 31, 2025. PhD from Harvard University Her academic work bridges the history of medieval Iran, Persian literary traditions, and the occult sciences in Islamic contexts. Recent publications examine Persian manuscript cultures, Timurid-Safavid intellectual transitions, and allegorical storytelling in Sufi traditions. Her research demonstrates deep expertise in: Perso-Islamic mystical traditions Arabic and Persian mirrors for princes Medieval Iranian historiography Timurid manuscript production Islamic cosmology and symbolism Interactions between Turko-Persian cultures

• Persian Studies
• History of late antique and medieval Iran
• Classical Persian literature
• +3 more

Joseph Hill is an Associate Professor and Undergraduate Director in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Alberta, Faculty of Arts. His research focuses on Sufi Islam in West Africa, particularly gender dynamics, religious performance, and transnational networks. He holds a PhD in Anthropology from Yale University and a BA from Brigham Young University. Research interests include the Fayḍa Tijāniyya Sufi movement, women’s Islamic leadership, and the role of hip-hop in religious expression. Key projects explore how Sufi practices mediate social change and navigate cultural pluralism. Published works: Wrapping Authority (2018), awarded the Clifford Geertz Prize (2020). Editor-in-Chief of Islamic Africa . Teaches courses on gender, religion, and linguistic anthropology. Awards: First Runner-Up for the Clifford Geertz Prize in the Anthropology of Religion (2020).

• Islam
• West Africa
• Gender Studies
• +5 more

Michael Chagnon serves as Adjunct Professor in the Department of Near and Middle Eastern Civilizations at the University of Toronto and Curator at the Aga Khan Museum, specializing in painting and book arts from the early modern Persianate sphere. Education: PhD, Institute of Fine Arts, New York University (2015) His research centers on Islamic visual culture with emphasis on Safavid-era manuscript production, Sufi iconography, and gender dynamics in Persianate art. He investigates material-object relationships and subversive narratives within religious and courtly contexts, bridging art historical analysis with material culture studies. His methodology integrates close visual reading with socio-historical frameworks to uncover marginalized perspectives in Islamic artistic traditions. Recent publications reveal a focused trajectory on 17th-century Iran, examining how textual and visual elements negotiate power structures. Key themes include spiritual embodiment in Rumi-related imagery, gendered interventions in manuscript cycles, and material agency in ceramic objects. His work consistently connects micro-historical case studies to broader discourses on Islamic artistic identity. No scientific awards were mentioned in the provided text. No information regarding student advising or research grants was provided in the source material. As Curator at the Aga Khan Museum, he leads exhibition development teams for major shows including Rumi: A Visual Journey (2023) and Hakan Topal: The Golden Cage (2022), collaborating with international scholars and artists to translate academic research into public-facing cultural programming.

• Islamic Art
• Persianate Sphere
• Manuscript Studies
• +3 more

Meena Sharify-Funk is a Professor at the Faculty of Arts, Wilfrid Laurier University. She specializes in Contemporary Islamic Thought, Islamic Identity, Women and Islam, Sufism, Islamic Mysticism, and Middle Eastern Culture and History. Research focuses on modern Islamic intellectual traditions and cultural dynamics Areas include gender studies, mystical traditions, and regional historical contexts Contact: msharifyfunk@wlu.ca | Office: DAWB 2-118 | Languages: English, Arabic, Persian

• Contemporary Islamic Thought
• Islamic Identity
• Women and Islam
• +4 more

Shafique N. Virani is an Associate Professor of Islamic Studies at the University of Toronto's Faculty of Arts and Science. He has previously served on the faculties of Harvard University, Zayed University, and the University of Toronto in senior leadership roles, including founding director of the Centre for South Asian Civilizations. His research spans Islamic history, Shi'ism, Quranic studies, and Muslim literatures across Arabic, Persian, and South Asian languages, with particular emphasis on Ismaili and Ithna-'ashari Shi'ism, Bhakti traditions, and esoteric doctrines. He has received over $6 million in grants and awards from global institutions. PhD, Harvard University MA, McGill University BA (Joint Honors with Excellence), McGill University Virani's research explores the survival of Ismaili communities through persecution, the role of taqiyyah (dissimulation), the interplay between Islamic philosophy and Sufism, and the development of devotional literature in South Asia. His work bridges historical analysis with contemporary applications, examining how religious minorities maintain identity while navigating hostile environments. The recovery of lost manuscripts and the evolution of poetic forms like the mathnawi are recurring themes in his scholarship. His recent publications (2020-2023) focus on Nizari Ismaili self-perception post-Mongol invasions, Persian manuscript cultures, and comparative studies between Ismaili and mainstream Islamic thought. Earlier works (2003-2015) laid foundational groundwork on Isma'ili cosmology and pedagogical traditions. Award highlights include: OCUFA Teaching Award American Academy of Religion's highest pedagogical honor United Nations recognition for knowledge advancement Farabi International Award Foundation for Iranian Studies accolades Virani leads the "Virani Dream Team," Canada's largest humanities research group focused on integrating teaching and research to address global challenges. He has consulted for UNESCO, Cirque du Soleil, and Google, and appeared in Hollywood's Downsizing as an academic authority.

• Islamic Studies
• Shi'ism
• Quranic Studies
• +7 more

Naveena Naqvi is an Assistant Professor specializing in Persianate Islamic Cultures of South Asia at the Department of Asian Studies within the Faculty of Arts at the University of British Columbia. She earned her PhD from UCLA in 2018 and previously held a postdoctoral fellowship at Yale University during 2018-19. Her research focuses on early modern and modern South Asia, particularly the Persianate world from the 13th to 19th centuries. Her work examines non-courtly writers in regional contexts under early colonial rule, with broader interests spanning the history of political Islam, gender and sexuality studies, and Hindustani music. Dr. Naqvi's scholarly publications have appeared in prestigious journals such as The Indian Economic and Social History Review and History and Theory . Dr. Naqvi's research explores the political imaginings and legal regimes crafted by autonomous Afghan soldiers, scholars and scribes in early colonial North India. Her work reveals complex networks of power and knowledge production that existed outside traditional courtly centers, offering fresh perspectives on South Asian history during periods of major political transition. Her research has been supported by significant funding, including an SSHRC-Insight Development Grant, the UBC Hampton New Faculty Grant, and the Dean of Arts Faculty Research Award. She is also a member of the Balzan Seminar, a research cohort of Islamic History scholars led by Michael Cook at Princeton University. Dr. Naqvi teaches courses including ASIA428: Mughal India, ASIA330: Muslims in Modern India, ASIA491(R): India and the Persianate World, and ASIA 310A: Afghan History. She actively invites applications from prospective MA students interested in Persianate history and early colonial rule in South Asia, demonstrating her commitment to mentoring the next generation of scholars in her field.

• History of South Asia
• Persianate World
• Early Colonial Rule
• +5 more